Before I buy an Axe FX...I have a routing question!!

EVH~5150

EVH~5150

Member
Hello,
My first post. I've been hovering over the "Purchase" button for quite a few days now. I'm a long time Helix user and after reading all the reviews, and obviously watching thousands of hours of videos...I'm convinced I'm ready to come over to the dark side.

Question: In my Helix Floor I can route a WDW signal like this...XLR outputs to my studio monitors with my wet effected signal, and send my dry signal from a separate 1/4" output to a Friedman ASM-10. I noticed the Axe FX III has 2 XLR outputs and 2 1/4" "humbuster" outputs. Can the signal path be routed in the same manner in which I've described above with the Helix? Dry mono signal through 1/4" and wet stereo signals through XLR outputs???

Also, standard or Turbo??? I see the chart showing more CPU performance between the 2 but I can't decide if it's really necessary for me?

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Yes, you can definitely do that same routing on the axe no problem. You would just have, for example, output1 set to stereo -> send both xlr to monitors, and output2 set to mono -> send one 1/4 cable to the frfr.

the preset would be set up with:
100% wet effects -> output1
mono guitar -> output2

It also doesn't matter which output you set to mono or stereo. It's really up to you and your use case. I just think it makes sense to keep output1 stereo.

as far as standard vs turbo. I have a standard and have never felt like i needed more CPU. Would it be nice? Yes; but I do not think it's crucial. But your use case could be different. Maybe you're a player who wants to use Full Res IRs all the time, with a bunch of time based effects, etc.
If you can swing the turbo, it might be beneficial, but if you can't you will still have an absolutely amazing guitar tone at your finger tips.
 
KyleHowdy said:
Yes, you can definitely do that same routing on the axe no problem. You would just have, for example, output1 set to stereo -> send both xlr to monitors, and output2 set to mono -> send one 1/4 cable to the frfr.

the preset would be set up with:
100% wet effects -> output1
mono guitar -> output2

It also doesn't matter which output you set to mono or stereo. It's really up to you and your use case. I just think it makes sense to keep output1 stereo.

as far as standard vs turbo. I have a standard and have never felt like i needed more CPU. Would it be nice? Yes; but I do not think it's crucial. But your use case could be different. Maybe you're a player who wants to use Full Res IRs all the time, with a bunch of time based effects, etc.
If you can swing the turbo, it might be beneficial, but if you can't you will still have an absolutely amazing guitar tone at your finger tips.
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Thank you very much! Right now I'm just planning on using this in the bedroom...so the Turbo aspect is probably just a nice thing to have, but not a requirement.
 
Justincase said:
The Axefx3 is the most versatile multi effects box I've ever seen when it comes to it's configurable routing capabilities. W/D/W is effortless.
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To me, "effortless" would mean there's a simple global setting for it that would send all wets to another output, but it would need at least two options for exceptions, as dry is not always dry and wet is not always 100% wet. I wonder if that could work...
But at least we can make our own switch (scene), or presets for it.
 
Infinite Radius said:
This. You could (and I have) actually run two full W/D/W rigs with one Axe Fx III.
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That is great to know. You can probably guess by my handle here, I am usually playing through an EVH style setup. One that involves an SLO-100 of some sort going into a dry center cab, while I have micro-pitch detuned signals running into my studio monitors. It's a beautiful thing. I just want to make sure I still have that flexibility with the I/O's on the Axe Fx...that they can be programmed that way. ;)
 
Brewce said:
To me, "effortless" would mean there's a simple global setting for it that would send all wets to another output, but it would need at least two options for exceptions, as dry is not always dry and wet is not always 100% wet. I wonder if that could work...
But at least we can make our own switch (scene), or presets for it.
Click to expand...
Hooking up a few speakers and then sitting on my ass using a mouse to point/click to virtually route/configure everything is pretty damn effortless in my book.

Just saying....
 
EVH~5150 said:
Thank you very much! Right now I'm just planning on using this in the bedroom...so the Turbo aspect is probably just a nice thing to have, but not a requirement.
Click to expand...
The thing to remember is that the Turbo has an additional 25% processing power, which isn’t a lot. It’s enough for some really complex layouts so it helps people with their live use, but at home, where we don’t need to switch presets instantly and can instead wait ~0.25 seconds, it’s not as important.

For instance, I have a regular FX3, and have only encountered one preset someone posted that I couldn’t load because its CPU use was too high.

So, do it. Dooo it… press the button… you know you want to… join us… :)
 
Greg Ferguson said:
The thing to remember is that the Turbo has an additional 25% processing power, which isn’t a lot. It’s enough for some really complex layouts so it helps people with their live use, but at home, where we don’t need to switch presets instantly and can instead wait ~0.25 seconds, it’s not as important.

For instance, I have a regular FX3, and have only encountered one preset someone posted that I couldn’t load because its CPU use was too high.

So, do it. Dooo it… press the button… you know you want to… join us… :)
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You're right, I'm close....and I have the wife's permission so I'm golden.
 
JUST BOUGHT IT!!!! Thank you everyone! That is the single most expensive piece of gear I've purchased so it's a little daunting to say the least. I did choose the Turbo, just to future proof myself for several years to come. I'll post my progress after gain some experience with it. I'm looking forward to learning from you all. My biggest influence for getting one is Leon Todd....I will never be able to play like him but just getting the tones he uses will be half the battle. ;) ....well, him and Rocco!!!!
 
EVH~5150 said:
JUST BOUGHT IT!!!! Thank you everyone! That is the single most expensive piece of gear I've purchased so it's a little daunting to say the least. I did choose the Turbo, just to future proof myself for several years to come. I'll post my progress after gain some experience with it. I'm looking forward to learning from you all. My biggest influence for getting one is Leon Todd....I will never be able to play like him but just getting the tones he uses will be half the battle. ;) ....well, him and Rocco!!!!
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Welcome to the family. Good timing too; we could sell out of the Axe-Fx III due to supply chain delays. I fully agree with your Turbo decision by the way: better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
 
Admin M@ said:
Welcome to the family. Good timing too; we could sell out of the Axe-Fx III due to supply chain delays. I fully agree with your Turbo decision by the way: better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
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Thank you for the reply! I am super excited...and a little bit nervous at the same time. I'm sure it will exceed all of my expectations!
 
EVH~5150 said:
You're right, I'm close....and I have the wife's permission so I'm golden.
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Not kidding around here, but rather just an observation... When you need to involve your spouse to make a decision about a piece of music gear, that's a serious piece of gear! (And it is of course.)

To Turbo or not to Turbo...? The Axe is pretty damn powerful. I have never run up against the CPU limits even with presets with lots of effects blocks in them, and complex routing. (Blocks use CPU whether they're engaged or bypassed, btw.) Since you have a Helix, you know how you operate: If you like to pile every effect you might possibly use into one preset, or use the highest-quality reverbs, or even if you don't get too deep into a piece of gear at first, but as you learn more of what it can do, you start taking advantage of more and more of its features..., then you might want to consider it.

Also, keep in mind you can run multiple separate signal chains through 1 Axe III. Even though the limit is 2 amp blocks, there are still good ways to run 2 guitarists plus a bass player simultaneously. Or give a keyboard and/or vocalist some effects. So in those scenarios, unless your presets are on the simple side, you could very well benefit from having that extra 25%. In general, I'd imagine this type of use is rare, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

OTOH, you could also ask yourself the question, "Do I really need an Axe III, or would the FM3 do?" If the answer (to the 1st part of the question) is truly 'no', then heck, may as well get the Turbo! :D 25% more power for ~10% more money is a great value. That's the way I see it, anyway.
 
EVH~5150 said:
Thank you for the reply! I am super excited...and a little bit nervous at the same time. I'm sure it will exceed all of my expectations!
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My reply was a bit late, but being nervous due to the cost was the same way I felt. For a while. But since getting used to all it can do, I can say it's easily the best value in a processor I've ever had.
 
TSJMajesty said:
My reply was a bit late, but being nervous due to the cost was the same way I felt. For a while. But since getting used to all it can do, I can say it's easily the best value in a processor I've ever had.
Click to expand...
Thank you! That's what I was hoping to hear. I'm sure many people can relate. The Helix was a big purchase at first, but the more I used it, and the more utility I got from it, the more value it gave me and I quickly forgot about the purchase price. Since I have zero experience with any generation of Fractal products I feel like I'm going in blind. So, bare with me as I get to know the unit... I may have a lot of growing pains.
 
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